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Term 3 is traditionally a busy time for
Middle School Humanities. Students
in Years 5 to 8 take part in a range of
excursions and incursions linked, in
particular, to their study of History.
Among the most popular and
engaging are those conducted by the
team from ‘History Up Close’.
OnMonday, 22 August, Year 7 students
were immersed in the world of ancient
civilisations. The day’s program
included gladiator training, ‘Olympic’
middleincursion/
Rome. The presenter demonstrated
various ways of fighting and explained
the contacts, trade and conflicts of
these societies.
Finally, students explored daily life of
theancients.Through thispresentation,
they learned about various social
hierarchies, as well as the fashions,
hygiene and home life of the day. They
tried on costumes and handled day-
to-day items that would have been
commonplace centuries ago.
Experiences such as this, where
students have the opportunity to
explore important ideas and concepts
in a hands-on way, are not only
engaging, but will become significant
memories of their time at Hillcrest. The
Middle School Humanities team are
delighted to have the opportunity to
organize such events for our students.
Ms Kerri Weidemann:
Middle School
Humanities Co-ordinator
games, ancient warfare and a peek at
daily life.
As gladiators, students were trained
by ‘Lanistas’ (coaches) and challenged
each other tomock fights with nets and
(foam) tridents. The fate of the loser
was revealed in the traditional way by
‘Caesar’ (their teacher) with a thumb
up or down. Through this activity,
students gained an understanding of
the beliefs, values and practices of the
ancient Romans.
Our Olympians were coached in the
ancient events of ‘sprint to the turning
post’ and ‘long jump with jumping
weights’. The efforts of all competitors
were applauded and champions
identified. As a result, students were
able to compare and contrast the role
of sporting competitions in ancient
times to the role sport plays in our lives
today.
In the Ancient Warfare session,
students tried on replica armour and
helmets, and held recreated weapons.
They learned about the development
of warfare in ancient Egypt, Greece and
...students had
the
opportunity
explore
important ideas
and concepts...